Prince Edward has become the first member of the British Royal family to speak out on the Epstein files after former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was implicated.
Since his involvement was revealed, Andrew has been stripped of most of his titles and has been largely in seclusion.
The Epstein files continue to shock the world
The files pertaining to the US government’s investigation into the disgraced pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein have become an all-consuming news scandal.
From the President of the United States Donald Trump, to the former Prince Andrew, and a host of celebrities both living and dead, the names mentioned in the list go right to the top.
Of course, no-one has been charged as a result of these files - Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell remains in prison for her role - and, for the most part, no wrongdoing is either alleged nor proven.
However, that hasn’t stopped the speculation about the relationships some prominent world figures had with the late criminal.
Prince Edward speaks out after Epstein files released
Prince Edward, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, broke the family’s official silence after appearing at an event in Dubai.
Appearing before reporters outside the World Governments Summit in the United Arab Emirates, the Duke of Edinburgh was asked: “How are you coping?”
The question, clearly a reference to the recently released tranche of files, in which Andrew appears once again, seemed to irk Edward a bit.
“Well, with the best will in the world, I'm not sure this is the audience that is probably the least bit interested in that,” he responded.
He continued: “They all came here to listen to education, solving the future, but no, I think it's all really important always to remember the victims and who are the victims in all this?
“A lot of victims in this.”
There are indeed a lot of victims, as the Epstein files saw over three million documents pertaining to Epstein and his associates released, including some horrific allegations of abuse and more.
Since the allegations started to emerge, the ex-Duke of York was stripped of his titles and moved out of his royal residence at Sandringham.
At the time, a statement from Buckingham Palace read: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”